At first glance the browser is a bit of a mess: its Android Market listing is subliterate, and its interface—the tabs, specifically—look kind of assy on the Droid's higher-resolution screen. Beyond the glitches, though, it's a capable browser, with gesture support, RSS integration and yes, multitouch.

Dolphin's multitouch implementation works on a number of handsets aside from the Droid, from the Hero, which supports multitouch out of the box, to Cyanogen-modded G1s and MyTouch 3Gs, which don't. It works much better on faster hardware though: where it's a bit laggy on a stock Hero, it's surprisingly smooth on Motorola's speedier terminator phone. At any rate, it's free, and available now in the Market, so, go. [Dolphin via Engadget Mobile]

Even though this free app doesn't really do anything except display exactly what your trackpad is sensing, it's still spectacular. Even with all ten fingers moving in different directions, inputs seem to be monitored just as precisely as with a single finger. I have no idea how you're supposed to map 10 finger inputs into anything useful, but man, the pointless toy potential here is massive. Update: As is, evidently, the dick joke potential. 11 bravos, to be shared amongst you. [Lericsson via Reddit]

At 1.5 inches thick, it's the thinnest 12.1-inch rugged convertible tablet—um, even with that massive qualifier in there, that's as thin as hardcore machinery gets. It's designed for law enforcement and other emergency services life-or-death people.

Of course, it uses a SSD for impact tolerance, in addition to running Core 2 Duos and up to 5GB of DDR3 RAM. It's also got hot-swappable modules for gear like GPS and webcams, and will see some appropriately hardass mounts and docks soon. It starts at $3600 for the base package for small businesses, 'cause the ability to stop a tankshell ain't cheap. And hey, multitouch!

DELL DELIVERS SMALLEST 12.1-INCH RUGGED CONVERTIBLE TABLET PC, FIRST WITH MULTI-TOUCH TECHNOLOGY

· Latitude XT2 XFR is Purpose-Built to Meet Unique Requirements of Field Service Workers, Military, Law Enforcement and First Responders

· Thinnest 12.1-Inch Rugged, Convertible Tablet PC

ROUND ROCK, Texas, Oct. 27, 2009 – Dell today unveiled the industry's smallest 12.1-inch rugged convertible tablet PC that is the first with a multi-touch display, the Latitude XT2 XFR. The system is designed to meet the unique and demanding needs of customers in the military, police, border patrol, field service organizations, factory fulfillment and first responders.

The Latitude XT2 XFR adds to Dell's Rugged Mobility Solution offering that includes the fully rugged Latitude E6400 XFR and the semi-rugged Latitude E6400 ATG laptops. It also joins purpose-engineered products like the Latitude Z, Latitude 2100 netbook for education and Dell Precision™ M6400 mobile workstation as another step in Dell's strategy to develop differentiated form factors and solutions that meet specific customer usage needs.

The News:

· Inspired by discussions with the defense, law enforcement, homeland security communities, field service departments and utility companies, Dell developed a convertible tablet that can adapt to changing mission requirements and withstand harsh environments. Features of the Latitude XT2 XFR include:

o At 1.5 inches (38.1 millimeters) it is the thinnest 12.1-inch rugged convertible tablet and starts at 5.4 pounds (2.45 kilograms) with four-cell battery and solid state drive[i], it is engineered and independently tested to meet MIL-810G standards for operation in harsh environments.

o Compression-sealed and rugged I/O doors, LCD, and keyboard, provide an IP54 level of Ingress Protection, or resistance to moisture and dust.

· The Latitude XT2 XFR can be installed in police or first-responder vehicles where critical information can be accessed with one hand. The Latitude XT2 XFR is also ideal for field-service and industrial manufacturing workforces who need an easy to carry, rugged system that can stand up to drops, spills and temperature extremes

· The Latitude XT2 XFR is available with Dell's optional remote management capabilities and next business day service and support.[ii]

· The rugged tablet shares common images and components with the Dell Latitude XT2 tablet for easy integration into existing environments. The Latitude XT2 XFR also includes:

o Intel Core 2 Duo processors with up to 5GB[iii] of DDR3 1066 MHz memory.[iv]

o QuadCool Thermal Management System enables excellent performance, even in extreme temperatures from minus 10 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

o Four-, six- and nine-cell battery options.

o Standard data security features that include Dell ControlVault and Dell ControlPoint, as well as optional solid state and spinning disk drives with full disk encryption.

o Impact resistant, sunlight viewable, 12.1-inch wide LED display with capacitive multi-touch gestures-enabled or optional resistive touch screen.

o Optional hot-swappable modules including GPS (in the coming weeks) and webcam.

o Optional expansion sliver provides camera/light, serial, and RJ11 inputs.

o An extensive range of optional accessories and services that include mobile rugged docking and mounting solutions in the coming weeks.

o A full complement of wireless connectivity options including wireless LAN 802.11 a/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 and mobile broadband.

· The XT2 XFR will be available in the U.S., Canada, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and Italy online and via Dell's PartnerDirect program. It starts at £2271 and more information is available here.

[Dell]

Despite being discovered on Dell's site, the monitor hasn't been officially announced yet. We assume the system is IR-based (meaning it's limited to 2 simultaneous touch points), tracking a finger and stylus alike as you drag and drop or pan/zoom.

Otherwise, specs are like any other monitor, with 1920x1080 resolution, 1000:1 contrast and quick 2ms response time, along with HDMI/DVI-in and a webcam/mic combo. No word yet on pricing or release, but we like the idea. A lot. [Dell via Engadget]

This video examines the benefits and limitations inherent in current mouse-based and window-oriented interfaces, the problems facing other potential solutions, and visualizes my proposal for a completely new way of interacting with desktop computers.

I recommend you watch the whole thing, because he makes some very good usability points—discussing the pros and cons of different UI approaches—before getting into his proposal—which looks beautiful and, more importantly, useful.

I like a lot of the things I see here. I like the way the applications are organized and accessed, combined a modal approach with a stream. I love how he solved the general menu vs application menu dilemma. What I don't like is the idea of having a control surface below the keyboard. I guess we are all used to it, through laptops and trackpads. And he is right that it may be a great way to transition to touch-interfaces for most users—because of that familiarity. However, I would like to see this implemented in a different form factor Both on the go—in the tablet—and in the desktop—in whatever new format the hardware manufacturers can come up with. [10/GUI via Unplggd]

This initial $900 Z5610 also lacks the built-in Blu-ray drive or TV tuner we saw in our April preview. If you're after an all-in-one that doubles as a TV, you might be better off looking at HP's TouchSmart 600 or Sony's Vaio L. The $1400 Gateway ZX6800 has a TV tuner, but not Blu-ray.

In terms of looks, the Z5610 holds its own. An ambient lighting strip between the display and sound bar illuminates the keyboard in the dark, and the PC's chrome legs create room to stow away the keyboard and tilt the display 10-20 degrees.

The rest of the specs are pretty basic, though: 4GB DDR3-800 RAM (expandable to 8GB), 320GB hard disk, 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 graphics, SuperMulti optical drive, 6 USB slots, and one eSATA port. You also get 802.11n and Gigabit networking, plus a bundled wireless keyboard and mouse.

Underpowered, yes. But not bad for the price. The Aspire Z5610 arrives sometime before Christmas for $800.

Besides its long ass model number, the 15.6-inch Aspire AS5738PG has a capacitive multitouch screen. However, unlike HP's TouchSmart or Lenovo's SimpleTap, Acer doesn't include a touch optimized user interface of its own on top of Windows 7. Nevertheless, it will be capable of the typical multitouch gestures, including pinching to zoom and two finger scrolling.

For $800 you also get some pretty decent specs: an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, ATI Radeon HD 4570 graphics, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive with 64-bit Windows 7 Premium. Since the multitouch doesn't add too much to the price it may just be worth trying out, I just wonder how long it will take until you forget that you can put your fingers on the screen. [Acer]

ACER’S FIRST NOTEBOOK WITH TOUCHSCREEN CAPABILITIES DELIVERS HANDS-ON IMMERSIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Launching with Windows 7, the new Aspire AS5738PG Multi-touch screen Notebook Delivers Incredible New Functionality, High-Performance Features, and Mobile Entertainment

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 9, 2009 – Acer America, part of the world’s third largest PC company (Source: Gartner data, 4Q 2008),(1) today debuts its new Acer Aspire 5738PG notebook PC – the company’s first notebook with multi-touch screen capabilities that offer a natural and enhanced way to interact with the PC, applications and digital data.

The Acer Aspire 5738PG multi-touch screen notebook launches with Microsoft Windows 7 Premium and will be available starting October 22 at select retailers.

The Acer Aspire 5739PG’s high-quality multi-touch screen display and Microsoft Windows 7 multi-touch support makes entertainment and multimedia experiences more intuitive and interactive. As a result, customers can touch anywhere on the screen using one or two fingertips to play movies, zoom in and out on websites, edit photos and video, handwrite notes, resize windows, launch entertainment applications and more.

Also, customers can use multi-touch screen for a variety of gestures directly on the screen for intuitive and accurate access and control. For example, customers can pinch inward or outward to zoom in and out of photos, flick the screen to turn the page and browse through media and documents, as well as swirl their finger for quick and simple navigation of lists.

“Customers will experience an incredible level of flexibility and control in the multi-touch screen interface, as it frees them to interact with their digital world a way that is familiar yet also new and exciting,” said Ray Sawall, senior manager of product marketing for Acer America. “The Acer Aspire 5738PG’s multi-touch experience takes advantage of the many new support in Windows 7 and provides incredibly powerful first-rate technology such as ATI Mobility Radeon graphics and Intel Core 2 Duo processor.”

Sawall continued, “Until now, touch notebooks have been limited in capabilities, which is something that’s changed with multi-touch screen capabilities. And while touch-screen models used to be out of the price range of most consumers, we’ve dramatically reduced the price premium associated with the new Acer Aspire 5738PG, so it’s more affordable to a wider range of customers.”

Impressive Mobile Theater Entertainment
More than the sum of its touch points, the Acer Aspire 5738PG notebook combines first-rate technologies that deliver excellent performance for mobile theater entertainment and mainstream games.

The display was designed to provide an extraordinary cinematic experience that is immersive and incredibly realistic. The vibrant HD display is a 16:9 widescreen size that’s ideal for enjoying movies and online entertainment. Plus, it’s LED-backlit, which reduces energy usage and along with the 1366x768-resolution, contributes to the display’s crisp clear visuals. As a result, it’s ideal for enjoying HD movies and touch-control is remarkably precise.

Complementing the HD display, the system’s Intel Core 2 Duo processor provides the horsepower to drive demanding applications flawlessly, while the high-definition ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4570 Graphics with 512MB Dedicated DDR3 VRAM graphics enhance imagery with vivid color and crisp detail. Dolby Home Theater® Audio Enhancement with built-in speakers and 5.1-channel surround sound output brings these incredible visuals to life with vibrant crisp audio.

Technology and Extras for On-the-Go Productivity and Fun
Customers will have plenty of ways to access, store, share and enjoy their digital media files. It’s spacious 320GB hard drive can store a vast library of music, video, photos, spreadsheets and email. An integrated multi-in-one media reader enables connection to peripherals and electronic devices, while an HDMI port allows the system to support any PC or TV video format via a single cable. The four USB 2.0 ports provide ample connections to peripherals and consumer electronics.

Staying in touch is fun and convenient with the notebook’s integrated 802.11a/g/b/Draft-N wireless technology and Gigabit Ethernet. The Acer Crystal Eye webcam enables high-quality video chats and VoIP with friends, family and work associates. It can also capture still pictures and videos for sharing with others.

Hardware and Design Enhances the Touch Experience
The overall multi-touch screen experience is further enhanced by giving customers more ways to interact with their notebook through the multi-gesture touchpad. Affording easy PC navigation, the new Aspire 5738PG’s multi-gesture touchpad lets users access their applications and media with the same sort of natural, intuitive gestures they can use on the touch screen, including pinch, flick and swirl. The convenient Touchpad lock can be set to prevent unintended cursor movement.

The new Acer Aspire 5738PG multi-touch screen notebook also comes with helpful and easy-to-use one-touch buttons: the Acer Backup Manager for backing-up important files and information, and the PowerSmart button for maximizing battery life.

Availability, Configurations and Pricing
The Acer® Aspire AS5738PG-6306 notebook is the first model available in the line. It will be available for U.S. customers with Microsoft Windows 7 Premium beginning Oct. 22 at leading retailers. Specifications and pricing follow.

The Acer Aspire AS5738PG-6306 is available in Acer’s popular Gemstone Blue color.

Acer® Aspire AS5738PG-6306 Multi-Touch Screen Notebook PC

* 15.6-Inch HD CineCrystal™ LED-Backlit Multi-touch screen Display (Widescreen 16.9 Aspect Ratio, 1366x768 resolution)
* Microsoft Windows 7 Premium 64-bit
* Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6600 (2.2GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB)
* ATI Radeon™ HD 4570 Graphics with 512MB Dedicated DDR3 VRAM
* 4GB DDR2 667MHz Dual Channel Memory
* 320GB SATA Hard Drive(2)
* 8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
* Dedicated numeric keypad
* Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ network connection, featuring MIMO technology, supporting Acer SignalUp™ with Nplify™3, 4 wireless technology
* Two built-in stereo speakers with Dolby®10-optimized surround sound system
* Acer Crystal Eye webcam, with 640 x 480 supporting Acer PrimaLite™ technology
* HDMI port and four USB 2.0 ports
* Energy Star
* 6.16 lbs with 6-cell battery
* MSRP: $799.99

Price

Starts at $1,050 on October 22nd. $1600 as tested.

Our Configuration

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.13GHz, 4GB DDR3 RAM, slot-load Blu-ray player/DVD burner, NVIDIA GeForce GT230M with 1GB dedicated RAM, 23-inch 1080P multitouch display, and a slew of inputs, including 6 USB, a card reader, coax, S-Video, HDMI, audio and composite.

What's New

This is the third generation TouchSmart. The two-point, IR-based multitouch PC remains thematically unchanged, but the combination of hardware and software is finally gelling. The new stuff includes:

• Windows 7
• HDMI-in
• Updated TouchSmart UI
• Custom Hulu, Netflix, Twitter and Absurdly Cool Recipe Book Apps
• HD Tuning (not CableCard)
• Fully customizable LED under-lighting
• Tilting webcam

The Hardware

You'll recognize the body design as almost unchanged from the last generation, but that's not necessarily a strike against the TouchSmart. While the body is mostly plastic, the high gloss black is unoffensive, and good for making screen colors pop like an HDTV. A majority of the TV-style input set is cleverly hidden behind a panel, should you prefer the seamless look.

As for that screen, it's as good as any low to mid-tier LCD HDTV, but its multitouch is not quite perfect. If you pace your movements, it's about 95% accurate at tracking your fingers. If you don't, that number drops to 85%. And should the system be strained with a lot of multimedia tasking, the touch only gets worse. But I make this all sound a lot worse than it is. No, the screen isn't as accurate/wonderful as capacitive tech, but it's a lot better than resistive.

The wireless low profile keyboard and mouse are both understated and completely functional. And a decent remote gives the whole package that home theater feel for when you need to do a little IR blasting.

Audio dribbles through a soundbar sits under the screen. The quality is passable for television, but there's potential here for improvement—the highs are tinny and there's not real bass. Music lovers will want standalone speakers (which is too bad, because everything else is great.)

But again, I almost hate saying bad things about the build because what the TouchSmart does right is sooo cool: the software.

The Littlest Media Mogul

If you just want to multitouch your way through Windows 7, the TouchSmart allows that. But to really take advantage of the system, you'll want to use the TouchSmart interface and the wonderful, custom apps. Sure, you can mess with photos, take hand-drawn notes and watch video clips, but here's the more notable stuff. (Check out the video above to see some of these apps in motion.)

Netflix
I couldn't enjoy the Netflix interface more. Flick through your library, click a movie and just wait for the server to stream it. It's probably the slickest Netflix skin I've seen to date.

Ambient Lighting
It's technically a series of LEDs under the monitor, but Ambient Lighting makes its way into the apps section since you can choose from the entire spectrum of colors through a touch interface. The glowing effect, while a tad cheesy, is incredible customizable.

Twitter
Tweetie is my client of choice on Mac. Most all of the advanced functionality is duplicated here. And if you really want to, you can type on the onscreen keyboard. It works, but I'll take the real thing, thanks.

Live TV/DVR
It's easy to get mixed up in the submenus and the software is obviously resource intensive, but otherwise, you're working with a fully-functional HD DVR (sitting on top the core of WMC, as I understand it). Flicking through programming guides is surprisingly natural.

Hulu
Stuck in an update loop, I couldn't test Hulu. Given the quality of HP's other bundled apps, especially Netflix, I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Music
The music app is super smart because it incorporates MP3s, Pandora and Rhapsody into, well, not exactly one interface but at least one basic app. Browsing albums is smooth in a Cover-Flow-like spread. Pandora is a bit disappointing in that most of the UI is spent on the Pandora logo. But it works.

Recipe Box
Despite the failings during my tech demo above, this little app is embarrassingly fun. Through a built-in browser, you can rip any recipe containing "directions" and "ingredients" from almost any webpage. With one button, the recipe appears in your own book, formatted like everything else in your collection. Now, should you have your hands full, the system supports voice commands to read you the recipe. It didn't work in my demo video, but even when it did, the system fulfilled all the stereotypes of poor voice commands and text-to-speech. Still, Recipe Box is a clever way to bring an all-in-one into the kitchen.

The one downfall here is that HP has designed TouchSmart to run all of the bundled apps at once. You're truly multitasking, and that means stacking HDTV, Hulu, Netflix, photo editing, a browser, Twitter, and even more video playback. The system generally handles itself admirably, but the TV tuning definitely tips the scales on occasion (just watch the video for interface stutters). If I were to use the system as my DVR on a regular basis, I'd probably cut down the fat on HP's apps and buy myself some resources.

Another point to mention is that, while you can customize HP's dock with any apps you like, those not designed by HP (say, Microsoft Word) will merely link you to the full app in Windows. So you can't work on a term paper in the fancy media interface, but then again, you probably don't want to.

Oh, and for some reason, the back button within apps often brings you back to the same information in a different view than you started with. That's a perfect candidate for a patch if I've ever seen one.

Like, Not Love

I want to love the TouchSmart 600, but I just really, really like it a lot. The functionality is all there; no one can question the full media suite of apps, like Netflix, Hulu, and Twitter, let alone the full Windows 7 OS sitting right behind HP's optional software. It's the light performance hiccups coupled with a less than 100% touch interface that stop me from screaming at the top of my lungs, "YOU SHOULD BUY THIS RIGHT NOW OR GIVE UP ON LIFE COMPLETELY."

But maybe you should buy the TouchSmart 600 right now. Other than Sony's upcoming Vaio L, there's no all-in-one quite like this on the market. Coupled with a netbook, you'd have portability and an entire media center at your disposal. The combo, for something like a dorm room or small apartment, would be unquestionably wonderful.

Versatile media platform

Neat, functional apps

Full Windows 7 sits a click away

A reasonable home theater replacement

Imperfect, but decent multitouch

Speakers sound pretty lousy

DVR tends to slow the whole system

The name of the game is multitouch. The Applied Sciences Group at Microsoft—who helped create with Natal—are basically researching hand-cradled versions of the laptop trackpads and camera gesture systems that are evolving in parallel elsewhere. Though large populations of computer mice may be dying out because buyers prefer laptops over desktops, the mouse still roars in gaming and artistic fields.

The irony is that Microsoft's reveal of these concept mice comes on the heel of Apple rumors that a new, multitouch Mighty Mouse is on the way to market. Regardless, before Apple lets its mouse out of the bag, take a look at these, because there's a lot going on here:

• Cap Mouse - So named because it's capacitive touch, it's possibly the most completed concept design, mapped with a series of sensible gestures, not just momentum scrolling and pinch zooming, but even thumb flicking to shift photos and toss windows around the screen. The designers made a conscious decision to leave the click mechanism in place, because, like on the MacBook Pro trackpad of their arch-competitor, that physical clicking reduces user confusion. In the video below, you can see the finger activity in the window on the left, while you see the results on the right:

• FTIR (Frustrated Total Internal Reflection) Mouse - Loser of the "coolest mouse name" competition here, this one uses an infrared camera that's gauging the positions of fingers on a curved acrylic surface. The amount of finger positioning you could see on this baby was astounding, though it probably isn't economical to use full-rez video of hand positions as a control.

• Orb Mouse - It's similar to the FTIR but with a semi-sphere where the hand rests. The team mapped gaming commands to demonstrate how regions of the sphere could control different pieces of an app. Something about that sphere makes sense, like it would be easier to remember gestures at different clock positions or something.

• Arty (Articulated) Mouse - A smart low-bandwidth multitouch concept, it basically makes sense of assorted pinching gestures. There's no camera, instead, the two finger pads each have a little mouse tracker in them, and the system measures how all three "mice" move relative to one another in order to fire off commands.

• Side Mouse - This strange half-mouse has a tracker and clicker, just like mice have had for eons. But it also has a camera that looks forward, interpreting what your fingers are doing and why. The beauty is that it's basically a Natal for your hand—you can even set it a foot away, and gesture at it with both hands, if that's what an app calls for. The catch is that when you are using it, you have to rest your fingers on the table, and it's apparently a bitch to program around all of that involuntary hand movement.

I couldn't help feel a bit sad when talking to these brilliant guys about their mice. After all, even though I used to be a huge mouse fanatic, it's been years since I've used one. Perhaps it's laziness or forgetfulness, or my couch-friendly work habits, but I do get the feeling the mouse's days are numbered. Am I wrong?

Update: Video the research team made, complete with soothing ambient music, showing how each mouse works. Take a look:

According to AppleInsider, the mouse's nipple—the ball in the middle that gets useless after a while thanks to dirt and sweat—is going away. Instead, the mightier mouse will use a multitouch solution to replace it, likely integrated with the housing itself.

Their sources also say that it will likely at last abandon the white polycarbonate look in favor of an aluminum finish. I would certainly like a metal mouse, but I will not hold my breath about any rumors anymore. [AppleInsider]

As we've mentioned in the past, BumpTop isn't a new OS or shell replacement, it just adds a 3D workspace to your desktop. The $30 mulit-touch version of the software is available now, but you'll need to have Windows 7 (and a multi-touch tablet, laptop or all-in-one PC). The good news: we're going to see a bunch of those arrive alongside the new OS on October 22. [BumpTop via TechCrunch]

The problem with screen keyboards is that you actually have to look at the screen to hit the keys correctly. With real keyboards, touch typists have a physical reference to position their hands. That's why they type blind. With a flat screen keyboard, however, you lose the physical reference frame.

The patent for this screen keyboard, however, uses multitouch technology to automatically align the keys to the position of the hand. Since the keys are always in the same relative position to your fingers, you will always have a physical point of reference: Your own hand. That way, you can blindingly hammer your keys against the screen, knowing that your fingers will always hit the keys they are aiming for.

The patent also details the way this virtual keyboard would appear anywhere on the screen: Just place your hands as you would normally do while typing, and the keyboard will pop up. [USPTO via WMPowerUser]

If all the lights and pucks aren't enough, the last video demonstrates a third level of difficulty involving virtual goal barriers that must be destroyed before a goal can be scored. Seriously, your biggest enemy here isn't even your real-life opponent. It's like your both battling the machine.[Geekologie via DVICE]

Multitouch has passed Windows Mobile by, mainly on account of the fact that 6.1 doesn't support capacitive screens—the kind needed for multi-finger gestures to register. Even if it did, the OS is far from multitouch-ready.

With the Leo, it looks like HTC's pulled another Hero: They've taken an OS that isn't designed for multitouch out of the box—in this case Windows Mobile 6.5 instead of Android—and added gestures to specific applications themselves: in this case the browser, Google Maps, the photo viewer and the video app. But where else would you want it, honestly?

Best of all, the Leo's 1GHz Snapdragon processor renders pinch zooming waaaay more smoothly than the Hero's dumpier processor, also from Qualcomm, handling multitouch video gestures without a hint of stuttering.

It looks like the Leo isn't just an experiment in hardware porn after all, and that with HTC's help, Windows Mobile 6.5 might not be that bad. [PocketPT via WMPoweruser]

A multi-touch tablet like that could bring intuitive zooming, scrolling, and maybe even preset gestures. The possibilities are exciting even to an un-artistic soul, though I wonder if it will remain a stylus-based input system or if things will be more hands on. [Engadget]

The big news of these two is the 14.1-inch T400s business portable which Lenovo has turned into their own multitouch experiment. They kept much of the hardware the same from when it was released back in June, but added a capacitive screen capable of recognizing four fingers on the screen. Don't believe it?! Good thing we have a full review.

If four finger fun wasn't enough, they've updated the X200T, which again looks exactly the same as its predecessor, except for its capacitive touchscreen which can recognize two-finger input. It has also earned a healthy spec bump across the board: The Core 2 Duo processor is now available at up to 2.13GHz speeds and HDDs now reach up to 500GB while optional SSDs go all the way to 256GB. Besides configuring it with a multitouch screen you can also get it with an ultrabright outdoor-friendly panel.

Lenovo's made sure to give the X200 and T400s something a little extra in the software department, hoping to set them apart from your (soon to be) average Windows 7 multitouch wares. It's called SimpleTap, and it invokes a pretty little pop-up grid of common functions like Wi-Fi switching, adjusting brightness, changing volume and the like whenever you double-tab the screen.

The refreshed X200 and T400s will be available starting today with Windows Vista, with the multitouch versions coming in at $1,654 and $1,999, respectively. Lenovo will send you your Win 7 upgrade disc on October 22. Weirdly, SimpleTap won't be available as a download until October 22 either, but you can probably find a way to enjoy your multitouch tablet without it. [Lenovo]

Lenovo Adds Touch of Simplicity to New MultiTouch Screen ThinkPad PCs

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – September 15, 2009: Lenovo today is bringing business users a new way to work with multitouch screen technology1 on the versatile and portable ThinkPad X200 Tablet PC and slim and powerful ThinkPad T400s laptop. Lenovo is also introducing SimpleTap, an application that brings simplicity to the multitouch screen experience.

"We see now as the right time for multitouch screens on PCs," said Sam Dusi, vice president, worldwide ThinkPad product marketing, Lenovo. "With touch screens increasingly becoming part of more devices we use routinely and continued improvement of the technology including the integration of touch in the upcoming Windows 7 operating system, the environment for making touch part of our Tablet PC and ThinkPad T400s laptop experience couldn't be better. We've also extended the touch experience with SimpleTap to make frequent hardware-based functions touch-enabled and simple."

Lenovo also today announced a new defense against the sun for outdoor workers with a new super bright optional screen on the ThinkPad X200 Tablet.

Personalizing Productivity on the PC with Touch

Users can now interact with their ThinkPad PC in a more personal way with multitouch screen technology. Designed for highly mobile users, the optional multitouch screen ThinkPad X200 Tablet caters to individuals in fields such as sales, health care and education. Already supporting one finger touch, these users can now use two-finger touch to perform a variety of gestures, including pinching, zooming, tapping and flicking through documents, web pages and photos instead of using a mouse.

The high performance ThinkPad T400s laptop serves professionals in engineering and design. Now these users can manipulate four fingers on the ThinkPad T400s laptop's optional multitouch screen to not only replace the mouse but transform the way they work. They can now use four fingers to manipulate objects, move images with two hands and even have another person touch the screen to collaborate simultaneously. As new multitouch applications are introduced, there will be new possibilities for using multitouch screen laptops.

Using advanced capacitive touch, the screens are sensitive and responsive to even the slightest touch of the finger. Lenovo also optimized the firmware to help compensate for slightly imprecise taps on the screen, such as when closing a window or navigating the Start menu, helping make navigation easier for Tablet users. To combat fingerprints, an anti-fingerprint coating helps keep smudges at bay and the screen clean. The multi-touch screens also allow users to enjoy ultra long battery life with up to nine hours on the ThinkPad X200 Tablet.2

With upcoming ThinkPad X200 Tablet models supporting the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system, these mobile users can also take advantage of improved predictive text over previous operating systems, improved handwriting recognition in more languages and formula input features for math and scientific equations.

More details on the ThinkPad T400s and X200 Tablet are available at www.lenovo.com.

Adding a "Touch" of Simplicity to Touch Screens

Touch screens are designed to make interaction with a PC natural and intuitive, however, often users must switch between touch screen gestures and pressing hardware buttons. Lenovo designed SimpleTap, a ThinkVantage Technology, to enable uninterrupted use of people's touch screens by giving them access to hardware-based functions that may be more easily accessed via touch input. For Tablet users, that means staying in tablet mode longer while on-the-go, saving time and being more productive.

To use SimpleTap, simply double tap anywhere on the screen to launch the application. A clean and efficient grid of colorful and transparent square tiles, inspired by the classic 15 Puzzle, opens on top of the work beneath and allows users to choose several hardware-based functions including: turning on or off the wireless radio, ThinkLight and microphone, previewing the camera, enabling mute, adjusting the volume or screen brightness, locking the screen or putting the PC to sleep. To exit SimpleTap, just tap once anywhere on the screen to close the grid and continue working. As a quick access interface, SimpleTap allows users to get in, perform a function and get out quickly.

Designed to be highly customizable, individuals can create their own tiles to enhance their personal productivity. For example, a sales professional could create a tile that launches a sales presentation with just the tap of a finger. A health professional could similarly create a tile that pulls up a patient's medical information instantaneously. Or a consumer could quickly access his or her favorite website. Users can arrange the tiles however they choose by dragging and grouping them together, and designed to be fun to use, the tiles can even be flicked around the screen.

Click here to see a video demonstration of SimpleTap and here to read more about the design and inspiration behind the application.

Brightening Tablet PC for Outdoor Light

To further extend tablet computing outdoors, users can now choose a super bright outdoor screen that displays images even in direct sunlight. For field engineers, sales professionals, students and others who work outside, outdoor viewability is critical. The new optional outdoor screen on the ThinkPad X200 Tablet offers excellent viewability with a bright 400 nit screen, low 1.2 percent reflectivity and wide viewing angle. Coated with a thin anti-reflective layer, the screen provides crisp and bright images that can easily be seen indoors or outdoors. Mobile workers can also stay productive with the Tablet's all day battery life.

A photo of the ThinkPad X200 outdoor screen compared with a standard screen can be viewed here.

Pricing and Availability3

The ThinkPad T400s with the multitouch screen and the ThinkPad X200 Tablet with the multitouch screen and the outdoor screen will be available starting immediately through business partners and www.lenovo.com. Pricing starts at approximately $1,999 for the ThinkPad T400s with the multitouch screen and $1,654 and $1,704, respectively, for the ThinkPad X200 Tablet with the multitouch screen and outdoor screen. SimpleTap will be available for download after October 22.

This isn't the first Obscura Digital creation to catch our eye. We've seen 3D multitouch holograms, crazy building projections and an 8-by-4-foot Missile Command-playing multitouch wall.

The new 18-foot long wall scales across GPUs seamlessly, and automatically splits the workspace for up to 6 users to flick through Hard Rock photo and video memorabilia, with image resolution upwards of 12 megapixels.

Complementing the video tech, an audio system creates a pinpointed local audio experience, so that each user can interact with content without interfering with others.

Man, Microsoft Surface, eat your heart out. [Obscura Digital Blog]

Loaded with Windows 7, the X9613 features a multitouch screen, Core 2 Quad Q9000 processor, Nvidia GT240M graphics, 4GB of RAM, Blu-ray drive and even a second Sideshow monitor (that box you see on the bottom, we believe). But it's the system's glossy, touch-button and fingerprint-friendly design that would make it an aesthetically welcome addition to one's typical array of home theater equipment.

Announced for Europe only at the moment, the X9613 is priced between $2,100 to $2,700 after conversion. Luckily, these types of rigs will only get cheaper.[New Gadgets via Engadget]